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The Third Reich (Nazi) Period

I have had a long term interest in the Third Reich and this interest covers the German Wehrmacht and Nazi Party formations / organisations. The actions performed by this regime cannot be excused and I do not share the same political beliefs. However, I do look at the facts as a historian.

I am particularly interested in the Armed Forces and the Schutzstaffel (SS) of Nazi Germany. The former was divided into the Heers (army), Kriegsmarine (navy) and the Luftwaffe (air force) whilst the latter consisted of the Allgemeine-SS and the Waffen-SS.

I have researched the treatment of senior military (Heers) prisoners captured by the Allies at the end of the Second World War and these high ranking officers were tired for war crimes at Nuremburg.

Also I have researched aerial combat between the RAF and the Luftwaffe. This research has covered both the Battle of Britain and Operation Market Garden (the Arnhem offensive).

In terms of the Nazi Party formations and organisations I am exceptionally interested in researching the Schutzstaffel (SS). This formation started as a personal bodyguard for Adolph Hitler and it grew to an all-invasive formation with tentacles into nearly every aspect of the State. The Allgemeine-SS (or General SS) covered those departments of the SS that were non-combatant. The Waffen-SS, in which many nations and religions (including Muslims) served, was the "armed" combatant element of the SS. The Waffen-SS were very hard fighters and served in most theatres of the war. Initially the Waffen-SS had links to concentration camp guard units and the 2nd Waffen-SS division (Totenkopf) recruited from these cadres. The Waffen-SS also had a reputation for brutality and they were indicted for a number of war crimes.